Sir James Hardy named as Festival of Sales ambassador

FORMER Olympian and America’s Cup hero Sir James Hardy has been announced as the ambassador of next year’s Festival of Sails. The world champion yachtsman, businessman, winemaker and community leader was a special guest at the 2015 event.

Sir James will be a guest speaker of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club at the Skipper’s Breakfast on January 27 during the 2019 Festival of Sails, which runs from January 26-28.

The Festival of Sails is Australia’s biggest celebration of sailing and the largest keelboat sailing regatta in the Southern Hemisphere, attracting hundreds of yachts and thousands of participants from around the world to Corio Bay.

Sir James represented Australia at two Olympics (1964 and 1968) and was an America’s Cup skipper three times (1970, 1974 and 1980). He also competed in four Admiral’s Cup Ocean Racing Championships.

In 1983, when Australia 2 won the America’s Cup, finally breaking the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year hold on the cup, Sir James was the backup skipper and mentor to skipper John Bertrand. Bertrand had been in Sir James’s crew in each of his three earlier America’s Cup challenges.

“The Festival of Sails is a wonderful event and I am looking forward to being a part of the 2019 celebrations in Geelong. I love Corio Bay,” Sir James said.

Sir James was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1975 and a Knight Bachelor in 1981 for his service to yachting and the community.

In 1981, he was named the Australian yachtsman of the year and in 1994 was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame.

“Sir James is an icon of Australian sailing,” Festival of Sails chair Stuart Dickson said.

“It will be an absolute privilege to welcome him to the Skipper’s Breakfast during the Festival of Sails.

“I am sure his stories and anecdotes from a remarkable sailing career will be inspiring for all of the guests before day two of sailing begins.”